2008 Monasterio De Las Vinas Garnacha/Syrah Blend – $7

Okay, we outdid ourselves this time.  We found another wine from the Cariñena region of Spain that is a ridiculous steal.  This 70% Garnacha 30% Syrah blend – aged 3 months in American oak – has a nose of strawberry and raspberry jam.  On the palate you get orange, raspberry and a little spicy pepper, with a finish that lasts and lasts!

It’s great with ribs and pizza and comes in at 13% alcohol.  It also scored an amazing 91 points with the Wine Enthusiast. You really need to buy this one by the case!

Sourced from a single vineyard, the “Monasterio de San Jose”, where for centuries monks produced wine. Nowadays, this is a large production wine made for the American market, but they really got it right. The Quality-Price Ratio (QPR) is off the charts for this one.

2008 Agostón Garnacha Syrah – $10

OK first of all you know our stance on wine with cute little critters on the label (we’re looking at you Yellow Tail, Long Neck & Tall Horse). Yeah usually horrible! But a wild boar isn’t exactly cute, plus a friend is really pushing for us to review Little Penguin Shiraz, so we might as well start somewhere.

This 60% Garnacha, 40% Syrah screw top blend hails from the Cariñena region of Spain which aside from giving the Carignan grape its name is right next to Calatayud in the shadows of the Ibérico mountain range. It gets its name from the wild boars that would sneak down into the vineyards at night to feast upon the grapes like – well, pigs.

It’s a light bodied, see-through crimson in the glass and noses like the black currant iced tea you get at Egg Harbor or Maggiano’s. A sip gets you raspberry and black cherry that fades into a nice wild herb and cocoa finish. It’s juicy and relaxed even at 13.5% alcohol.

This wine is like Lucky Charms, it’s magically delicious. Drink it all by itself to see what I’m talking about or drink it down with grilled steak skewers, Firecracker Shrimp or the Buffalo Wild Wings #4.

2008 Cotes Du Rhone Signargues La Granacha – $13

I was wandering thru the wine shop looking for a bottle to purchase, nothing on sale interested me.  I saw a Granacha (why the Spanish spelling for a French wine, I don’t know) from the Cotes du Rhone, I checked the back label and saw that it was imported by Eric Solomon, that was a good sign. I have had good luck with Eric Solomon wines, he has a knack with finding good “off the beaten path”wines.

I hit the internet to find a bit of information and found this is sourced from 80 year old Grenache vines from the Signargues region of the Rhone Valley. Organic and sustainable farming, unfiltered and unfined (that means they do nothing to get solids out of the wine). Half the wine sees 6 months in French oak, the other half aged in stain-less steel vats. The Signargues is not a well known wine area, so the wines do not command a high price. The 2007 vintage got 91 point in Wine Spectator.

Opaque purple with a contrasting red halo. The nose is French funk, black  licorice, the smell of coloring Easter eggs and raspberry jam. The taste is bright fresh fruit mixed with jammy fruit, blackberries and blueberries with a late splash of spice in the back of your mouth, a bit of acidity can be felt on the tongue. The finish is chocolate milk, berries and a touch of spice. A well structured wine, not just a ton of fruit, layered and nuanced. This is a versatile wine that can be paired with many different dishes and still be a good back porch sipper.

2008 Bitch Grenache – $9

You have probably seen this in the wine shop and thought, “With a name like that it can’t possibly be any good.” But you would be wrong, it’s actually a nice little Grenache. The back of the label is funny, they printed the word “bitch” 68 times in a row, then added, “ and bitch some more” for a total of 69 bitches. No other information other than what is required by law. Sourced from the Ebenezer region of the Barossa Valley in South Australia and made in a “drink it now” style. so it sees no oak. The alcohol content is 15.5% and in Australia the posted alcohol content has to be within 1.5% of the actual alcohol content, so it could possibly be 17% alcohol. The 2006 vintage of this wine got 90 points in Wine Spectator.

The color is a see thru cranberry red with orange highlights. The nose is fruit, but not fresh fruit, more like a bag of pungent fruit flavored hard candy. The mouth feel is light and oily, the flavors stick to the parts of your mouth the wine hits. It tastes of candied fruit, with spice reacting with your tongue. The finish is cherry Dr. Pepper, the finish lasts a long time, but the intensity fades fast. There are two main flavors competing for your attention, the sweet candied fruit and hot cinnamon spice, think strawberry Jolly Rancher followed by an Altoids. This may not be a wine you would want to pair with dinner, it would be better served with dessert or skip the food altogether and have it after dinner

2008 Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha – $16

Grenache is THE GRAPE of Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape – you know – the Rhone blends. It’s a grape that gets you lightly colored, soft yet FULL wines chock full of strawberry and raspberry. While not particularly rich or complex, Grenache is one of the world’s most widely-planted grapes, and it gives up a unique character wherever it’s planted.

Well, in the up-by-Rioja “Campo de Borja” region (no, not Victor Borge, he was the Great Dane, not the Great Spaniard) of Spain (well, all of Spain), it’s known as Garnacha. This one from Borsao’s Three Peaks (Tres Picos) is deep violet in the glass, insanely smoky in a good way – like someone lit a Cohiba full of black pepper and flowers dipped in Indian spices right next to you.

Taking a sip (or nibbling on Jillian Michael’s shoulders), you get awesome body in your mouth (apologies to Jillian, had to give Megan Fox a break). Blackberry, raspberry and strawberry give way to a long silky finish of cocoa. I have no doubt this thing would be $50 if it came from France and was called Grenache.

Drink by itself or with turkey chili or pork chops.

2008 Bibi Graetz Casamatta Rosso – $14

The name means “crazy house”, but it’s Italian finesse in a bottle. Hard to find a better value wine out of Tuscany, an exceptional territory.  This Sangiovese-driven wine has raspberry aromas that lead to medium bodied dark fruit flavors and fruity, tangy finish. Drink it with some Beef Ravioli!

2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz – $7

Yellow Tail is one of the reasons we started this website. There are so many interesting under twenty dollar wines available, but virtually undiscovered, while Yellow Tail was 1/10th of all wine sales. There is nothing wrong with Yellow Tail Shiraz, for the price it’s fine. It’s available everywhere, cheap and it has a reliable taste, it’s kind of the McDonald’s of wine. Compared to the other mass produced wines it holds it’s own, but put it up against wine that sells for a few bucks more and Yellow Tail can’t compete. So head to your local wine shop, tell the help there that you want a bottle of their best under $10 wine, give it a try, find your new go-to everyday wine. There are some really exciting, well priced wines out there, start drinking your way through as many as you can. If price is the #1 consideration in your wine buying, then Yellow Tail isn’t a bad choice. But otherwise save your pennies and find a wine with a little “wow” factor.

Oh, I almost forgot, the review: The color is deep dark red, the nose is cherries with a bit of alcohol. It tastes of tangy cherry juice with a hint of sour green stick flavor popping up now and again. Even though the cherry flavor is slightly sour the over all taste is a bit sweet. No tannins to speak of and the finish is nondescript. A very drinkable, but simple wine.

Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir – $19

Owen Roe is not the name of the Winemaker, Owen is sort of the Irish equivalent to William Wallace. The Winemaker David O’Reilly who along with Jerry Owen make a line of terrific wines from the Pacific Northwest. They’re wines are always top quality and even on years when the weather does not cooperate they come up with interesting wines. This Pinot is sourced from a few different vineyards in the Northern Willamette Valley of Oregon, aged 9 months in French oak, alcohol content 13.75% and a fairly small volume of 4,500 cases produced.

The nose has a lot to offer, jammy fruit, vanilla, a whiff of brewing coffee, and a little bit of musty mushroom aroma. The mouth feel is a bit oaky, a  dry feeling in the back of the mouth, this is a young Pinot, it’s fine to drink now, but a year or two of bottle age will tame the oak. The color is a glassy crimson, very pretty. There is abundant spice and pepper, it comes in layers and is not overwhelming, the fruit is dark and dry, not sweet, with some thin no fizz cola flavor. That may not sound like a good combination on paper, but on your palate it works just fine. A very multidimensional wine, what you taste in the first sip of your glass will change by the last sip of your glass, lot’s of fun to drink.

Not the “Holy Grail” under $20 Pinot ( you need to catch a sale to get the Sharecropper for under $2o), But a rock solid, attention grabbing Pinot.

2008 Man Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon – $7

South African reds are far from my favorite. But if you ever catch yourself saying “I’ve tried x and I don’t like x, so I don’t drink x”, then you’re doing it wrong. Vintage to vintage, vineyard to vineyard, vintner to vintner – there’s a BROAD spectrum used as a palette for winemakers as artists to paint their masterpiece using only ONE ingredient. You might not like oaked Chardonnay for example, but have you tried it aged in stainless steel? You might not care for Cabernet Sauvignon, but have you tried it from the Dark Continent?

9 times out of 10, I won’t like South African red wine, but I always give it a chance and taste it when presented with the opportunity. And sure enough, eventually, because I kept an open mind, I’ll find the exception to the rule. That’s how it was with Chardonnay and I. Now I like it – some of it. Because I was persistent and kept at it, I was able to zero in on what I don’t like and what I do like.

In the case of South African reds, it was just a matter of giving them some time to get their shit together. This screwtop from South Africa had some strawberry and cherry on the nose, cassis and black cherry on the palate with a long finish of spicy oak. It may not be a classic, but it has its shit together. Finally.

Bold and juicy, throw some Simphiwe Dana on the MP3 player and drink it with hearty pasta or grilled red meats.

2008 Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling – $9

So Michalina’s cooking me dinner – a spicy chicken dish that smells as delicious as she does. When I get to her condo, DAMN!! I forgot to bring a wine! “Back in five, kochanie”, (Polish for “yo baby”) and I’m off, knowing I spotted a Dominick’s downstairs (that’s a chain of grocery stores in 312 that has a decent selection of wines) .

Once there, I spot a Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling for $9 chilled. Sold! Not only is Michalina Polish for Michelle, but if you know anything about Polish girls, you KNOW they likes their Riesling!

Back at her place, we enjoy a “primer” glass together while she puts the finishing touches on dinner. She couldn’t say enough about this wine – not too dry, not too sweet, nice and crisp and refreshing with lots of apples, melon and even a little lime.

Then we gave it a whole new level of appreciation when we started digging in (eating, I mean – other stuff came later). It went with her chicken dish like chocolate and strawberries. Like lingerie and sexy hips. Like bellies and jewelry. It was sweet but not too sweet, and it’s gentle sweetness was just the right counter to the spice of the chicken dish.

Chateau Ste Michelle is the oldest winery in Washington State and they are the LARGEST single producer of Riesling in the world (600,000 cases)! They were the winner of Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year in 2004, and have an amphitheater on their grounds in Woodinville, WA where you can drink their wines and see Styx or Tony Bennett (and others) in concert during the summer months.

Being around for so long and selling so much Riesling, it’s obviously not just Michalina & I that think their wines are a perennial solid choice for go-to consistency.

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